Recent research on therapy and neuroscience provides more and more evidence that telling your story to someone who is attuned to you (or doing “talk therapy”) helps people change their brain functioning (Cozolino, 2010). This, in turn, provides them with new perspectives and insights they need to deal with a particular challenge. As the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote, “much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” I am here for you to get those unsaid things off your chest and help you work through them. The result of counseling depends on so many factors that it is impossible to make foolproof predictions. One of the major factors that has proven to be especially important for successful therapy is the relationship between clients and therapist (see my research). This is why I base my clinical work on the Contextual Therapy approach which emphasizes trust, safety and accountability as cornerstones of any relationship, including my relationship with you.
Cozolino, L. (2010). The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: Healing the Social Brain, 2nd ed. New York: Norton.
My approach is based on Contextual Therapy, which focuses on the relational context of our lives and aims to help people find their own fair balance in relationships. This way they can be true to their self and take care of their needs while also keeping satisfying relationships with significant others. As a contextual therapist, I believe it is crucial for me to consider multiple perspectives of family members and to be supportive and empathic to each of them without taking sides.
Contextual Therapy works equally well with individual, couple and family issues. Therapy is considered to be a transitional process that helps restore relational and individual strengths. The duration of this transitional process varies depending on clients’ goals, history of issues and their complexity. In general, 8-12 sessions are considered to be effective in many situations. Some issues or problems may need fewer or more sessions.
I can also adjust my work to my clients’ needs and goals by using other effective approaches such as solution-focused, cognitive-behavioral, structural and Bowen’s models.
Boszormenyi-Nagy, I., & Krasner, B. R. (1986). Between give and take: a clinical guide to contextual therapy. New York: Brunner. Goldenthal, P., (1996). Doing contextual therapy: an integrated model for working with individuals, couples, and families. New York : Norton.